Danny Crouch adds English title to his British crown

COACH Anthony Wise praised Danny Crouch’s ability to always bring his A-Game to competitions after the South Essex star added the English Under-12 all-around title to the British crown he won in March.

Former Rayleigh Primary School pupil Danny, 11, impressed on all six pieces to beat his national rivals again at Loughborough University on the weekend of April 7-9.

Wise said: “He went through the British and the English with only one mistake so his consistency was very good and that is something which is very impressive about him at such a young age.

“I think the prep I’ve done with Danny for every competition has worked but also he is just very good at competing.

“He just never gets nervous and I never think he is going to fall or make mistakes. Which, again, is phenomenal for someone of his age.

“We also practice routines for eight weeks, which is more than anybody else, so he is always ready to compete at these events.

“He is very fast at twisting and has powerful legs, those are his main strengths and that is likely to be his focus when he is older.

“But for now we are just trying to get him to be solid on every piece and then continue to build on his floor and vault for the future.”

South Essex’s Doug Turnbull, who is coached by Matt Jackson, won floor silver in Loughborough and was tenth overall.

And Under-14s Anton Anderson and Joseph Sawyer both completed double tuck back in their floor routines and Joseph also successfully executed release and catch on the high bar.

Jackson said: “It was good to see our gymnasts completing new routines and new skills which will stand them in good stead for the future as they are now mandatory elements when they reach Under-18 level.”